Venus Williams Receives 12th Wildcard of 2026 for US Open

Venus Williams will enter the US Open on a wildcard, her 12th such invitation of the 2026 season, despite losing her past 14 singles matches. BBC Sport reported that the 46-year-old, currently ranked 611th in the world, will meet fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin in the first round in New York.

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Williams has not qualified for a Grand Slam through her ranking since Wimbledon in 2021. That tournament was also the site of her most recent singles victory at a major. Her latest wildcard adds to invitations from events in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Germany, Canada and the United States during the current season.

The American has lost 18 of her past 19 singles matches, with her only victory in that sequence coming against Peyton Stearns in Washington in July 2025. BBC Sport noted that Williams nevertheless pushed Karolina Muchova to three sets at last year's US Open and also went three sets with Olga Danilovic at the Australian Open in January. She reached the US Open doubles quarter-finals last year.

Grand Slam tournaments reserve eight places in each 128-player singles draw for wildcard entrants. Regular WTA and ATP events usually allocate between four and eight, depending on the size of the field. There is no cap on the number of wildcards a Grand Slam champion may receive, leaving each tournament to make its own selection decisions.

Toronto tournament director Karl Hale told BBC Sport that Williams' record, popularity and ability to attract media attention informed his decision to invite her to this month's WTA 1000 event. He said her appearance on the opening day added value to the tournament and maintained that she remains competitive even though she has not been converting performances into victories.

Tournament organizers commonly give preference to players from their own country, but commercial appeal can also influence wildcard choices. Reciprocal arrangements also exist among the United States Tennis Association, Tennis Australia and the French Tennis Federation, with each organization providing men's and women's places to players from the other nations. For Williams, a five-time Wimbledon singles champion and two-time US Open singles winner, the New York invitation provides another opportunity to end a winless run that has lasted more than a year.